


Thank you for the compliment

by Nomolosk



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma Attack, Fluff, Unconventional powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:20:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23283898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nomolosk/pseuds/Nomolosk
Summary: Ladybug and Chat Noir tackle the latest akuma. It's not a very threatening one.
Relationships: Ladybug/Chat Noir
Comments: 21
Kudos: 201





	Thank you for the compliment

Ladybug swung herself up onto the roof of Francoise Dupont, hoping Chat Noir was already on the scene. She’d been in the middle of something and couldn’t get away until all the others were distracted, but she’d finally been able to sneak off and transform. So far, the akuma of the day didn’t seem to be doing much other than shouting.

She approached Chat crouched at the edge of the roof, so preoccupied with the akuma floating through the courtyard that Ladybug had to touch him on the shoulder before he came out of trance. He stared at her wide-eyed, pupils mere slits, and Ladybug frowned.

“Are you ok, Chat?” A sense of dread filled her. “You didn’t get hit by the akuma, did you?”

All at once he opened his mouth and blurted, “You’re so graceful! I love to watch you walk away after a battle! Pigtails are making a comeback among teen girls because of you, and I love it! You’re the best partner any cat could-”

Ladybug sprang forward and slapped a hand over his mouth. Chat’s eyes opened a little wider, then he suddenly jerked away, shaking his head hard. Ladybug stayed where she was, ready to try something else if needed. But when he looked back up, his eyes were back to normal. Well, as normal as cat eyes on a human boy could be, anyway.

“Ladybug! When did you get here?” 

“I… Chat, did you get hit by the akuma before you transformed? Or does it just have a really long range?”

“I…” Chat scratched his head. “I don’t really remember. I mean,” he said, looking up at her wide-eyed again. “I had to come here as my civilian self because I couldn’t just transform where I was, and-”

Ladybug held up her hand. “It’s okay, Chat. I know you don’t go to school here. I just wondered.”

“Why?” Now he was puzzled.

“You had some kind of stream-of-consciousness going on there for a minute after I got here,” she explained. “Only, instead of embarrassing thoughts, or even just regular thoughts, you were… complimenting me. I think,” she said, frowning again.

“Huh. Nothing inappropriate, I hope,” Chat scratched his head again, giving her a little smile. Ladybug smirked and said, “Only one of them was suggestive, and it was pretty mild. You’re okay for now, kitty.”

“Well then… I’m sorry, and you’re welcome, I guess?”

Ladybug grinned and shook her head at him. “Come on, kitty. Time to figure out what the deal is with this akuma.”

They both surveyed the situation below for a moment before swinging/pole vaulting down into the thick of it. The akuma, who was dressed in eye-burning shades of purple and blue and carried some kind of whip-like object. By this time, most of the student body was in hiding, but Ladybug saw one student try to run across a corner of the courtyard behind the akuma’s back. Without even looking, the akuma whipped her ribbon, or string, or whatever it was behind her, neatly tagging the kid on his shoulder. He froze immediately.

Ladybug quickly swung down, Chat following close behind, both of them landing between the student and the akuma. Ladybug immediately spun her yo-yo into a shield as lash after lash came at her. Behind her she could hear Chat trying to snap the kid out of whatever trance the akuma had put him in.

“Hey, come back-!”

Ladybug glanced over to see the kid making a beeline for a different part of the school, now completely ignored by the akuma.

“Ladybug! Chat Noir!” the akuma shouted, apparently deciding to try and talk them out of their enchanted jewelry. “All I wanted was a compliment! We’ve been married for three years, and it’s not like I expected a huge present or an expensive dinner! But I dressed up- even put on make-up and jewelry! I made breakfast for him! And all he did when he got home from work this morning was to grunt something at me and go to bed!”

Ladybug raised her eyebrows at that. They didn’t often get marital-issue akumas, but when they did they tended to be nasty. This one, however…

“Now give me your miraculouses so I can make sure everyone gets a compliment today! Everyone deserves to know they are appreciated!”

Ladybug began to grin. True- the akuma could still be dangerous, but honestly… making people compliment each other? And if Chat was an indication, it wasn’t even as if the compliment trance was permanent. Not like Zombizou’s kiss curse. In fact…

Ladybug deliberately stopped spinning her yo-yo, getting caught by the lash almost immediately. Her mind fogged over for a moment, but when she came back to herself, Chat had hold of the akuma’s lash, and a bemused grin on his face.

“Uh… here you go, Ladybug. And… thanks. But that was really reckless, you know.” 

Ladybug shook her head a little and took the lash from him, ripping it in two and purifying the akuma.

“No problem, kitty. And I wasn’t particularly worried, judging by how you acted when I first showed up,” she said. “Although, I wish you’d believe you’re important to me without me having to use an akuma to get it through your thick skull.”

“Ah, but this cat wouldn’t still have all nine lives if my skull wasn’t so thick,” he said, with a grin and wink. Ladybug rolled her eyes, but patted him on the shoulder as well.

They both looked around carefully, but there didn’t seem to be any damage. Still, Ladybug went ahead and called for her lucky charm- which ended up being a small heart-shaped box- and flung it into the air, just in case.

\----

Later that day, Alya showed Marinette the shots she got of the battle. Alya always loved it when akumas invaded their school- although this time the school seemed to have been just one more stop for the akuma, on her way through the city. 

At first everyone in the video was running and screaming, but that didn’t last long as students found places to hide and quieted down to avoid attracting attention. Then the akuma appeared, tagging some of the slower students, who stopped, blank-faced, for a moment before speeding off in entirely different directions than their previous goals. One of those so tagged happened to be Nino, who had been trying to get back to class from the bathroom, where Adrien had disappeared to earlier. He ran up, dominating the camera’s field of vision.

“Alya, you’re the most wonderful thing in my life,” he gasped out. “You’re so determined, there’s nothing you can’t do if you really want it! I’m so happy every day that we’re together!”

The viewers could hear Alya giggling behind the camera. Nino shook himself a little, and then looked confused. “Wait. How did I get here?”

“Nino, get out of the frame!” Alya scolded on the video. Nino blushed and shuffled aside, just in time for Alya to catch Ladybug getting tagged by the akuma.

“Oh no!” Alya gasped, her comment echoed by various hushed voices around her. But Ladybug stiffened for a moment, then marched over to Chat Noir, who had been trying to circle around the akuma while it was preoccupied with Ladybug.

“Now listen here, you stupid cat!” Ladybug yelled, loud enough for the camera to pick up even though the heroes were all the way across the courtyard from them. Chat straightened up and looked around nervously. “You’re the best partner I could have asked for! If I had the chance to pick, I’d choose you again in a heartbeat! You’re always there for me! You love the people of Paris as much as I do, and that’s saying something! And speaking of love, sometimes I wish I could love you the way you love me, because-”

Ladybug continued shouting her compliments at Chat, even as he dodged away and tackled the akuma, quickly gaining control of her lash and then springing back over to Ladybug, who suddenly stopped and shook her head a little. They talked for a minute before Ladybug broke the lash and cleansed the akuma, turning the woman back into her own self, sitting slumped and confused on the ground in the middle of a school-building. Ladybug called for her cure and then the video cut off.

“They are so cute together!” Rose squealed. “They are serious friendship goals, don’t you think? Honestly, I’m pretty sure Ladybug actually let herself get hit that time. Do you think she and Chat will ever be a couple?”

Marinette rolled her eyes at that, but smiled anyway as she thought of her partner. “An akuma that made people compliment each other…” she mused. “Maybe Hawk Moth is getting a little soft.”


End file.
